Thames Water installs 100,000th smart meter

Thames Water, the first UK water company to roll-out smart meters using state-of-the-art wireless technology, has installed its landmark 100,000th meter in the London Borough of Bexley.

The water company plans to meter all customers where possible by 2030, and with more than 4,200 leaks detected on customer pipes so far, the ambitious programme has already saved an estimated 930,000 litres of water per day across London. This is the equivalent to almost 10,000 baths.

Supporting the programme’s water-saving success is the award-winning free “smarter home visit” offered by the company to its customers receiving a smart meter. A specialist team check how water efficient a house is and install water-saving gadgets. Around 16,000 visits have been carried out to date, with over 40,000 devices, including flow regulating shower heads and dual flush toilet adapters, installed since April and an estimated two million litres of water saved by the home visits alone.

“Installing water meters is important, not just because they give our customers greater control over their water use, but also for the environment, as climate change and population put ever increasing pressure on our water resources. We also believe meters are the fairest way to pay because you pay for what you use, value what you pay for, and so tend to use water more efficiently.”

The smart meters give residents access to water use data, online or by phone, allowing them to see how efficient their home is and track how simple water-saving efforts – like four-minute showers or turning the tap off while brushing your teeth – are having an impact on their bill.

Sean Weir, Director of Smart Metering and M2M at Arqiva said:

“Having successfully worked with Thames Water on its initial three-year smart metering trial, we are delighted to be continuing the relationship with the on-going roll-out of the network across key Thames regions.

“Accurate water monitoring enables consumers to better understand their usage and helps water companies pinpoint and act quickly on leakages. At Arqiva, we pride ourselves on the delivery of robust, reliable and comprehensive network solutions that aid this process, and the accomplishment of this week’s 100,000 milestone is testament to this.

“We understand the vast benefit each and every smart water meter has both environmentally and financially for consumers across the UK, so are looking forward to delivering thousands more meters, in partnership with Sensus, for Thames Water and its customers.”

“Our partnership with Arqiva and Thames Water represents the largest smart water metering project to date for Sensus, and reflects our commitment to helping the global water industry take on the challenge of water resource management.

“Sensus’ FlexNet long-range radio technology is flexible and interoperable with global communication infrastructure models, meaning Thames Water can access the vital granular data about water consumption needed to conserve resources, manage leakage, and help its customers save money.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

About Arqiva:

Arqiva is a leading UK communications infrastructure and media services provider dedicated to connecting people wherever they are through the delivery of TV, radio, mobile, WiFi and the Internet of Things (IoT). We are an independent provider of telecom towers, with over 8,000 sites across Great Britain, and are also the only supplier of national terrestrial television and radio broadcasting services in the UK. Our advanced networks support the exponential growth of connected devices and the ever-increasing demand for data from smartphones to tablets, connected TVs, smart meters, cars and medical devices.

Customers include major UK and international broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV, Sky Plc., Turner Broadcasting, the independent radio groups, major telco providers – including the UK's four mobile network operators – and retail, leisure, energy and water companies.

For more information, news and insights from Arqiva, please visit the website at: www.arqiva.com

About Thames Water smart meters:

• Smart meters are being installed in the London Boroughs of Bexley, Greenwich, Enfield, Camden, Islington, Haringey, Lewisham and Waltham Forest.• Further reducing leakage, which is already down a third since 2004, continues to be an integral part of Thames Water’s business strategy. With 25% of leakage from customers’ pipes, smart meters can be used to detect continual customer usage which can indicate a leak.• The South-East is a region described by the Environment Agency as “seriously water-stressed” and, on average, customers use one third more water than they did 30 years ago. Research suggests that customers on meters use 12% less water – when people pay for what they use, they value what they pay for and tend to use less.